ASUU UPDATE:Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU) Replaces Striking lecturers with new ones

The crisis between the embattled members of
the Academic Staff Union of Universities
[ASUU], Adekunle Ajasin University [AAUA],
Ondo state and their management is now
deepened as new lecturers have been
employment to replace the striking lecturers.
Recall that when DailyPost visited the campus
last Monday, some old lecturers were seen in
various lecture rooms teaching , thinking the
AAUA authorities and the striking workers have
agreed to end the five months old strike.
However, with a statement later issued by the
AAUA ASUU’s Chairman, Dr. Meruyi Mekusi,
insisting that they will not call off the strike
until their national body orders them to do so
might have forced the management to recruit
new lecturers.
Relatively, the Vice Chancellor of the
institution, Prof. Femi Mimiko, has charged
the newly recruited lecturers to key into the
work ethics of the Institution and always
observe the values of the teaching profession.
Prof. Mimiko, who also enjoined the academics
to be loyal to the University at all times, gave
the charge on Monday last week at the
Opening Ceremony of a two-day orientation
programme organized by the Institution for
the new academics.
The VC said, “Our expectations from you on
the job are to be in constant search for
knowledge and devise the innovative way of
dissemination. There must not be mention of
you in anything that is not worthy. Be role
models to students and enhance their moral
standard. You must be like counselors to them
at all times. Be shapers of opinions. Engage in
constructive criticism of society. Be solution
generators. Be focused and play a big role in
national development.
“AAUA is a public trust that is dedicated to
building leaders. You must, therefore, be loyal
to the system. We expect you to give to this
University an undiluted loyalty. We just
launched AAUA ALWAYS as a new campaign.
The message is that you must think about this
University at all times.”
While the VC commended them for being
found worthy of employment after rigorous
interviews, he said that the orientation became
necessary to expose them to AAUA culture.
He said, “This induction is to expose you to
our own peculiar form of pedagogy that we
want you to imbibe and to continue to
sustain.”
The VC was one of the four resource persons at
the orientation programme and he spoke on
“Who is an Academic?” He said the new intakes
were supposed to teach, engage in research
and community service.
Prof. Mimiko urged those among them who
were yet to earn Ph. D. to pursue it
vigorously, saying, “For us, Ph. D. is a must
have. Those who are yet to possess the Ph. D.
should know that the most important thing
that we will ask when you get here is, ‘How far
you are going in the pursuit of knowledge,
leading to the award of the Ph. D?”
He promised that the University would give
them support to undertake Ph.D. Programme
in any University of their choice.
Other speakers were the Deputy Vice
Chancellor, Prof. Rotimi Ajayi, who spoke on
“Academic Profession in the 21st Century”;
Prof. Francis Oyebade, who examined “AAUA
Academic Culture”; and Prof. Niyi Akinnaso,
who spoke on “21st Century Teaching”.